Gelman on Gelman
Alum takes Live to top spot
By Alan Kirkpatrick

Michael Gelman

The Web site for "LIVE with Regis and Kelly" proudly notes that when executive producer Michael Gelman ('83) got the job, he became the youngest producer of a national talk show.

That was in 1987. Or, in terms of live daily TV, light years ago Πenough time to cloud even such distinctive details.

"I can't remember for sure, but I think I was 24 or 25," he said.

The uncertainty is understandable considering the immense amount of time and energy required to keep millions of viewers continually entertained.

"The show is a black hole of creativity," Gelman said. "But you get used to it."

He's awake at 5 a.m. and works until 7 at night. Work-related social obligations often fill his evenings.

"I've pretty much lived at that pace for the past 20 years," he said. "My 20s were definitely a lot of work. My 30s didn't get any easier."

The work ethic goes back to Gelman's college days in Boulder. A New York native, in high school he developed a love for the outdoors Πparticularly skiing and rock climbing Πthat kept CU on his list of college possibilities.

"My sister had the œUnderground Guide to the College of Your Choice.' It made Boulder sound like this very cool place. I kept kind of a dream of Boulder. I graduated early, took six months off and visited a lot of schools I had been accepted to, like Syracuse and Ithaca. But in the end, I couldn't keep away from going out west to Boulder," Gelman said. "It was gorgeous."

However, his decision to attend CU would be put to the test. He was a radio, TV and film major when that curriculum was absorbed into the School of Journalism in 1981. He was told that to continue his studies, he would have to apply to the school. Unfortunately, competition to get into the new broadcast program was very intense, even for someone whose father's photo-equipment business gave him the ability to shoot films and learn still-camera techniques in high school.

"I had some tough times. They rejected me. I made a big stink, and they grandfathered me, but I still had problems getting into TV courses, which were hard to get into. Then I applied again. And they rejected me again," he said.

Eventually, he made it into the School, and as a broadcast production management major, he distinguished himself.

"As much as I liked to ski, my philosophy was to never miss a class," he said. "I always tried to arrange my courses so I could have long weekends for skiing."

"He was an exceptional student," said Assistant Dean Steve Jones, whose production classes Gelman said allowed him to take advantage of opportunities early in his career.

The first came when the U.S. Ski Association hired him as a camera operator, field producer and editor for pre-Olympic trials across the United States.

"That was pretty dreamy," he said.

Then, the summer of his junior year, he interned at WABC-TV in New York City.

"I really worked my tail off. I made myself kind of invaluable by acting more like an employee than an intern," Gelman said.

A local talk show, "Good Morning New York," later renamed "The Morning Show," was being produced at WABC. He got to know the producer, Pat Caso, who liked Gelman's work and told him to contact her about a job when he graduated.

During spring break of his senior year, he visited Caso only to learn that she was leaving in a month to have a baby. She passed Gelman's resume on to the new producer.

"There went my chances of a job right out of school," he said. "I called all the people I knew, and eventually they hooked me up with free-lance jobs."

About six months later, a free-lance job opened up on "The Morning Show."

"They asked me, œCan you help us out?' I asked them when. œToday.' Ninety minutes later I was there."

Not long after that, Gelman was hired as a staff production assistant, became associate producer for two years and then departed to do more free-lance work. He produced Regis Philbin's primetime variety program, "The Regis Philbin Show," on the Lifetime cable network.

When he returned to "The Morning Show" in 1987 as executive producer, it would be only a year before it would go into national syndication as "LIVE with Regis & Kathie Lee."

Gelman is credited with playing a significant role in taking the program from a local talk show to a national daytime ratings leader on ABC in the late 1980s. He and his staff have been nominated for Emmys 11 times.

According to the show's Web site: "As executive producer, Gelman is responsible for virtually every aspect of the show. He is well-known for his audience warm-ups and regularly appears on set, complementing host chat and taking lighthearted teasing from hosts Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa." (In the summer of 2000, Kathie Lee Gifford left the show and was replaced by Ripa.)

Gelman said his frequent on-air appearances are the result of Philbin's hosting style.

"Regis had always, as one of his on-air bits, talked to the producer on whatever show he's ever done. We took it to another level just because we've been at it so long and because he gets what he wants from me, which isn't much. I'm just there to play it straight."

For variety and talk shows, comedians are brought in to get the audience in a participatory mood. The exception is "LIVE," where Gelman takes the stage prior to taping.

"We were a local show in New York City, which is huge but still a local market. And in local markets, when it comes to money, there's not much extra to go around. So the producer on this show was always the one who did the warm-up.

"When I started producing the show on cable, I kept doing it. It has always just been something I do."

Gelman said doing the warm-up also allows him to establish a relationship with audience members for the show, and Philbin keeps it going during breaks.

"It's one thing to get an audience to laugh, but it's another thing to get them to do what we want," Gelman said.

Although he doesn't get back to Boulder much, he regularly returns to ski in Colorado. Gelman remains in close contact with several classmates, as was evident when he married well-known TV entertainment reporter Laurie Hibberd in 2000.

"There was an entire Boulder contingent at my wedding," he said.

The couple have a daughter, Jamie. Gelman s aid living in Manhattan makes for a healthy, if somewhat unusual, family life.

"Growing up in this part of New York City is not normal," Gelman said. "I don't mean that in a bad way. With two parents in the media, that adds a different dimension, but we live a very normal life. I live 10 blocks from work, everything we need is less than 10 minutes away and on weekends we go out to our home on Long Island."